AKL help!

[disneylaura55]

ok i have some questions for you AKL experts. we were getting ready to book...and I'm confused at the different views. there is the savannah and the arusha view? what is the difference and why is the arusha more expensive. also I'm considering doing the bunk bed option because we will have a 9 year old and a 5 year old..plus a one year old. so do the bunk bed rooms have more floor space....like for the crib? or is it about the same. also does anyone know a great floor/room/area to try and request! thanks a million..and have a great day!

 

[disneylaura55]

*BUMP*

 

[rznhal]

Hello!
We stayed at AKL for the first time this spring....OMG you are in for a treat it is a wonderful place!!!!!!

I don't have alot of useful info for you.....but I'll try to help!

As far as the bunk rooms....we didn't stay in one, but I did get a peek in one as it was being cleaned....it did not seem any bigger to me than our standard room, but you could def fit a pack and play somewhere!

As far as the views go....not sure how that works. We had a standard view room and a giraffe walked right by our balcony our first afternoon!!!! It was such a great trip!!

Have fun planning!!!

 

[figmentfan6]

As far as the views go....not sure how that works. We had a standard view room and a giraffe walked right by our balcony our first afternoon!!!! It was such a great trip!!

Just as an FYI, you were upgraded to either Savanna or Arusha if you could see animals. Standard view rooms overlook the parking lot and roofs of the resort. If you book a Standard view you will not see the animals, unless you get a sprinkling of pixie dust or if you're staying CL!

Based on the resort map on AllEars, it looks like the difference is that the Arusha savanna is the main one, the one in the center of the resort. So inside the horseshoe shape the hotel makes. The regular Savanna views are the savannas that are on the outside of the horseshoe. Here's a link to the map: http://allears.net/acc/aklmap.jpg

Either way you get to see the animals! Standard and Pool view are the only views that don't include Savanna. Have fun! I'll be at AKL in two weeks, with a Pool View because I'm a poor college student and can't bring myself to fork out $500 to see the animals!

 

[rs505]

We stayed at AKL this past summer and had the arusha view, and it was amazing. My sense is that the arusha view is considered the better view, but I could be wrong, and don't want to sound snobby. The animals had a lot of space to roam around, and we got to see all the animals. Night time is wonderful to sit on the balcony and watch all that is going on.

As for the floor, we were on the 3rd floor, which if I recall is the lobby floor. The fourth floor is the concierge level. The 3rd floor was perfect for us. You really don't want to be on the 1st or 2nd floor since they are too low to get a good view of the savannah.

We also had a bunk bed since it worked well for us with a boy (8) and a girl (10). I can't say for certain whether this gives you more floor space because with a bunk bed, my wife and I had a queen size bed, which was fairly large. My sense is that you can get a crib in the room, but it will be tight.

Overall, we loved AKL. We stayed there as part of a split stay, and while we love POFQ (where we stayed for part of the trip) AKL is so unique and the views are amazing. And while you're there try out Boma. It is one of the best buffets I've eaten at anywhere.

 

[cannonboys]

The room size is pretty much the same whether you have bunk beds or 2 queens. The bunk beds make it so much fun for the kids. It will be a tight fit, but well worth it!!

 

[JAM113]

Just as an FYI, you were upgraded to either Savanna or Arusha if you could see animals. Standard view rooms overlook the parking lot and roofs of the resort. If you book a Standard view you will not see the animals, unless you get a sprinkling of pixie dust or if you're staying CL!

Based on the resort map on AllEars, it looks like the difference is that the Arusha savanna is the main one, the one in the center of the resort. So inside the horseshoe shape the hotel makes. The regular Savanna views are the savannas that are on the outside of the horseshoe. Here's a link to the map: http://allears.net/acc/aklmap.jpg

Either way you get to see the animals! Standard and Pool view are the only views that don't include Savanna. Have fun! I'll be at AKL in two weeks, with a Pool View because I'm a poor college student and can't bring myself to fork out $500 to see the animals!

Not to worry... if your poolview room is on the zebra trail, as you walk down the hall, there will be windows on the opposite (or savannah) side, so you can see the animals without making a special trip to find them. (and if you end up on the giraffe trail, you're really close to the bus stop, which is also nice after a long day of walking around the parks.) We've done both, and have been happy with both. There are plenty of public places to see the animals. You just won't see them from your room.

 

[mmmears]

The Arusha savanna is the "main" or central savanna that the lobby is facing. I think lots of people started requesting it and they made it a separate category. There are several savannas at AKL (and places where you can sit and view each one). I book Standard CL, so we have always had an Arusha savanna view -- and it's very nice. But the other savanna are also nice -- and they each have unique animals on them. I'm not sure if it's worth paying extra $$$ for Arusha over the other savannas, though.

 

[figmentfan6]

Not to worry... if your poolview room is on the zebra trail, as you walk down the hall, there will be windows on the opposite (or savannah) side, so you can see the animals without making a special trip to find them. (and if you end up on the giraffe trail, you're really close to the bus stop, which is also nice after a long day of walking around the parks.) We've done both, and have been happy with both. There are plenty of public places to see the animals. You just won't see them from your room.

I know! I'm actually just excited that I have a pool view and not a standard view! In my experience the standard views are not that super. There aren't a whole lot of pool view rooms though, I find it interesting that so much of the resort is made up of various Savanna views. I know we won't be upgraded (CM room discount, CMs very very rarely get upgrades of any kind) but I suspect that AKL is one of the more likely hotels to get a view upgrade.